Thread packaging device with intermediate thread storage means

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a machine for spinning thread and winding it into a package, there being an intermediate thread storage means between the spinning means and the winding means. The spinning means is of the known turbine type in which a thread is spun from a supply of individual textile fibers. The spun thread is continuously withdrawn from the turbine by a pair of rolls, one of which is driven, and fed to an intermediate thread storage means, capable of storing a substantial length of thread, from which the thread is drawn by the winding means at a normally slightly faster rate than it is fed to the storage means. There is a tension sensing means between the turbine and the feed rolls which operates, in the event of thread breakage, to reverse the feeding of the thread and move it back into the turbine to effect piecing-up. The intermediate storage means comprises a plurality of rollers freely rotatably mounted in a circle on a stationary disc and receiving a plurality of helical windings of the thread. The winding of the thread on the rollers is effected by a thread guide fixed to a rotatable and axially movable spindle coaxial with the circle of rollers. The spindle is biased in the winding direction by a weight operatively secured thereto, and in the unwinding direction by the package winding means which is normally driven at a uniform speed, but which can be driven at a lesser speed depending on the axial position of said spindle. The winding means comprises a drum which tangentially engages and frictionally drives the package being wound. Said drum is driven by a constant speed motor through a clutch, friction or jaw, which may be intermittently engaged, or by variable speed planetary gearing, whereby the winding speed may be reduced in the event that the amount of thread on the storage device falls below a predetermined amount. This reduction in speed is effected by an electric switch controlled by the axial position of the spindle whereby the amount of thread on the storage device is maintained within substantially fixed limits.

United States Patent 11 1 Roethke et al.

[ 1 July 31, 1973 THREAD PACKAGING DEVICE WITH INTERMEDIATE THREAD STORAGE MEANS [75] Inventors: Ernst Roethke, Schorndorf;

Hermann Guttler, Ebersbach, both of Germany [73] Assignee: Zinser-Textilemaschinen Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Hattung, Postt'ach, Ebersbach, Germany [22] Filed: Nov. 17, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 199,441

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath Assistant Examiner-Milton S. Gcrstein Anarney-Edwin E. Greigg 57 ABSTRACT This invention relates to a machine for spinning thread and winding it into a package, there being an intermediate thread storage means between the spinning means and the winding means. The spinning means is of the known turbine type in which a thread is spun from a supply of individual textile fibers. The spun thread is continuously withdrawn from the turbine by a pair of rolls, one of which is driven, and fed to an intermediate thread storage means, capable of storing a substantial length of thread, from which the thread is drawn by the winding means at a normally slightly faster rate than it is fed to the storage means. There is a tension sensing means between the turbine and the feed rolls which operates, in the event of thread breakage, to reverse the feeding of the thread and move it back into the turbine to effect piecing-up. The intermediate storage means comprises a plurality of rollers freely rotatably mounted in a circle on a stationary disc and receiving a plurality of helical windings of the thread. The winding of the thread on the rollers is effected by a thread guide fixed to a rotatable and axially movable spindle coaxial with the circle of rollers. The spindle is biased in the winding direction by a weight operatively' secured thereto, and in the unwinding direction by the package winding means which is normally driven at a uniform speed, but which can be driven at ,a lesser speed depending on the axial position of said spindle. The winding means comprises a drum which tangentially engages and frictionally drives the package being wound. Said drum is driven by a constant speed motor through a clutch, friction or jaw, which may be intermittently engaged, or by variable speed planetary gearing, whereby the winding speed maybe reduced inthe event that the amount of thread on the storage device falls below a predetermined amount. This reduction in speed is effected by an electric switch controll'edby the axial position of the spindle whereby the amount of thread on the storage device ismaintained within substantially fixed limits. 7 a 7 16 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures SHEET 1 BF 5 PAIENIEU Jul, 3 1 I975 Pmmiuwm m5 a, 749 327 SHEET 3 (IF 5 PATENTED JUL3 1 I975 SHEET 8 0F 5 PATENIEBJUL31 I918 3. 749.32? I sum 5 or 5 THREAD PACKAGING DEVICE WITH INTERMEDIATE THREAD STORAGE MEANS This invention relates to a device for feeding thread having an intermediate storage unit which can intermediately store variable thread lengths of the thread running through it.

The invention in this respect relates preferably to a device which continually feeds, out of a spinning turblne, a thread which is made in the turbine from separated individual fibers, and which reels the thread up into a bobbin or package, although the invention is not confined to this.

Known intermediate storage units of the abovementioned kind consist of two stationary thread guides, which are arranged at an interval from each other, and another, elastically movable thread guide which can deflect the thread, which is between the two stationary thread guides, for differing distances, so that the thread length, which is between the two stationary thread guides, is variable between certain limits. This kind of intermediate storage unit, however, can provide intermediate storage only for comparatively short thread lengths, it requires much space, it is inclined toward undesirable oscillations and it can also cause unfavorable fluctuations in the thread tension.

The invention is intended to create a particularly advantageous device which will preferably be suitable also for spinning machines used in element spinning, and which will be able to provide intermediate storage for long thread lengths, with a simple and reliably operating design, and which will also offer advantages.

According to the invention the intermediate storage unit has a roller device which has at least two rotatably mounted rollers which can be jointly surrounded by the thread in several adjacent windings and that, furthermore, a winding device is provided which is axially movable and rotatable, with respect to the roller device, which holds the thread taut, and which is torsionstressed for the purpose of the automatic axial and angular adjustment of the place where the thread runs up on the roller device or for the adjustment-of the place where the thread runs off the roller device, and that there is also provided a regulating device to regulate the filling state of the intermediate storage unit, which acts upon the feed and/or removal speed of the thread.

The rollers of the roller device can be rollers which are, in a particularly advantageous manner, positioned in a freely rotatable fashion, which are not driven by their own drive mechanism, but which instead are made to rotate only by the thread looping around them and which thus facilitate the non-slip guidance of the thread. But in some cases it may also be provided that at least one of the rollers is driven by a motor or the like and that the intermediate storage unit thus simultaneously constitutes a drive mechanism for feeding the thread.

The roller device has at least four and preferably six rollers which are practically so arranged that they will be substantially tangential to the circumference of a circle encompassing them.

The rollers are so arranged that their rotation axes are roughly parallel to each other, although a precise parallel set-up generally is not favorable. Instead, it is particularly advantageous if at least two rollers of the roller device are arranged in a manner inclined toward each other, as a result of which, in case of correspondthread, guided by it, constantly taut, as a result of which it happens automatically that the winding device will balance out any relative change in the feed and runoff speed of the thread upon and from the roller device, respectively by means of corresponding winding motions. For this purpose, the winding device is constantly stressed with a torque which seeks to turn it in the winding direction and which can advantageously be produced by a weight.

The roller device has at least four and preferably six rollers which are arranged at roughly equal angular intervals from each other.

To make sure that the regulating device will be able to influence the feed or runoff speed of the thread respectively, onto and from the intermediate storage unit, means are provided which facilitate a controlled adjustment of the feeding speed and the runoff speed respectively.

In general, it is sufficient here when the particular thread speed is adjusted only within relatively small limits. For this kind of minor adjustment of the thread speed, adjustable speed motors are not suited because, with each adjustment of the speed, they reveal comparatively large, uncontrollable speed fluctuations. It is therefore better to drive the thread feeding member for example, a drive drum of a cross-winding device or the driven roller of a roller pair or a driven wheel or the like which determine the particular thread speed, by. means of a constant speed motor and to accomplish the speed adjustment of the feeding member by means of a gear. One advantageous version'of such a device which shows a feeding member that brings about the feeding of the thread, that is rotatably positioned and that can be driven by a powered main shaft with constant speed via a gear, and whose speed can be influenced by the regulating device for regulating the filling state of the intermediate storage unit is characterized according to the invention by a main shaft which is driven at constant speed, a wheel which is coaxial with respect to it and which carries at least one rotatably positioned planet pinion in an eccentric position, and which simultaneously engages with a cogwheel, which is firmly arranged on the main shaft and which has teeth on the outside, and an inside toothing arranged on the feeding member, and that means are provided for the variable speed drive of the wheel. This device in a simple manner makes it possible to adjust two speeds of the feeding wheel which differ only little from each other.

In such a evice, it is possible according to the invention to provide, instead of a gear with variable translation ratio, also that the feeding member is arranged coaxially to the main shaft and can be coupled with the latter via a clutch which can be engaged anddisengaged, and that the clutch can be intermittently engaged and disengaged through the control means in one particular adjustment position of the control means and that it will be constantly engaged when the control means are in another adjusted position.

This way of influencing the speed of the thread transport member, according to the invention, is not confined to the thread feeding devices, which have an intermediate storage unit according to the invention, but can also be advantageously applied in connection with intermediate storage units of a different design.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjuncion with the drawing, in which:--

FIG. 1 is a front elevation showing a spinning turbine, thread pull-off, intermediate storage unit, and package winding device;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged illustration of the intermediate storage unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the intermediate storage unit according to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a drive drum for the tangential drive of a bobbin with associated clutch;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the clutch shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the cam-lever gear which serves for the intermittent activation of the clutch according to FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 shows a drive drum for the tangential drive of a bobbin which is coupled with the drive shaft driving it, via a jaw clutch which can be intermittently engaged and disengaged;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the drum of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a left end view of the drum of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a drive drum, which serves for the tangential drive of a bobbin and which can be driven via a planet pinion gear; and

FIG. 11 is a left end view of the drum of FIG. 10.

In the device according to FIG. 1, a thread is formed continually, from separate individual fibers, in the known manner, by means of a spinning turbine 12, whereby the individual fibers are moved to the interior of the spinning turbine 12, in a manner not illustrated in greater detail; in the interior of the spinning turbine they are laid into a ring-shaped groove of the spinning turbine by virtue of the centrifugal force and they are drawn out of the spinning turbine, continually, at constant speed, combined with simultaneous twining as thread, by means of a roller pair comprising a driven roller 13 and a non-driven roller 14. The thread then continually runs through an intermediate storage unit 15, altogether, and after leaving the intermediate storage unit 15, it runs toward a cross-winding device 16, where it is wound up into a cross-wound package 17. The intermediate storage unit 15 is illustrated in an enlarged fashion in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The cross-winding device 16 has a grooved drum 18, which serves for the tangential drive of the package 17 and which simultaneously and continually lays the thread back and forth in an axial direction so that it will be wound up into the package 17. The grooved drum 18 is driven by a constant speed motor 19 via an engageable and disengageable clutch 20. The clutch is controlled automatically by means of an electric switch 21 which is closed (as shown in FIG. 2) when a certain filling state of the intermediate storage unit 15 falls below the required value and which, in this state, intermittently disengages and engages the clutch in order thus to reduce the speed of the grooved drum 18, in such a manner that the speed at which the thread is drawn off from the intermediate storage unit 15 will, on a time average, be slower than the feeding speed, at which the thread runs into the intermediate storage 15 as a esult of its feed which is brought about by the roller pair 13, 14. As a result, intermediate storage unit 15 is filled up again. If the required value for the filling state is exceeded again, the switch 21 is opened and this terminates the intermittent operation of clutch 20 and the clutch remains constantly engaged. The then constant speed of the grooved drum 18 is so achieved that the thread is drawn from the intermediate storage unit 15 at a speed which is somewhat faster than the feeding speed brought about by the roller pair 13, 14. This gradually decreases the filling state of the intermediate storage unit so that, when the filling state falls short of the required value, switch 21 is closed again, and, as a result clutch 20 again operates intermittently.

There is therefore a two-point regulation of the filling state of the intermediate storage unit. Preferred examples of suitable clutches are illustrated in FIGS. 4-9.

To start spinning the thread with the fibers located in the spinning turbine (to join the thread to the fibers in the spinning turbine), the thread must be fed into the spinning turbine opposite to its normal pull-off direction (Arrow A) in the direction of Arrow B. For this purpose, there is provided another, constantly driven, roller 22, which rotates opposite to roller 13 and which normally is not pressed against roller 14. There is provided a thread tension sensor 23 which constantly scans the tension of the thread 24 at a short interval after the exit of the spinning turbine 12. Whenthe thread in the spinning turbine is broken, the thread tension scanned by the thread sensor drops. The thread sensor then activates an adjusting device 25, which so swings a lever 26, which carries the driven rollers 13, 22, that the roller 13 is lifted off roller 14 and that roller 22 is pressed against roller 14, as a result of which the thread is now fed back into the spinning turbine, in the direction of Arrow B to start spinning again (to join the thread again). As soon as the thread returns into the groove of spinning turbine 12, which contains the fibers, the thread tension increases strongly and thread sensor 23, by means of adjusting device 25, causes lever 26 to swing back into the position illustrated in FIG. 1, in which position the thread is once again fed in the direction of Arrow A. It may happen here that the thread will break immediately after an attempt has been made to resume spinning, whereby the same process takes place again, until the thread is correctly joined.

Intermediate storage unit 15 here in particular has the function of facilitating the return of the thread 24, in the direction of Arrow B, into the spinning turbine 12, also in case of several immediately subsequent spinning start (thread-joining) attempts, without there being any need for interrupting the winding of the thread upon the package 17. For this purpose, intermediate storage unit 15 is sodesigned that it can provide intermediate storage for a comparatively great thread length which preferably is several meters. Beyond that it also has the function in the course of normal thread feeding (Arrow A) to regulate the speed differences between the feeding speed, brought about by roller pair 13, 14, and the pull-off speed, into, respectively, out of the intermediate storage unit, which is brought about by the grooved drum 18. For this purpose, the feeding speed, produced by the roller pair 13,

14, is somewhat smaller than the pull-off speed produced by the grooved drum 18 when clutch 20 is engaged, whereby these differences are automatically balanced out, on a time average, by means of the abovedescribed two-point regulating setup.

According to FIGS. 2 and 3, intermediate storage unit has a sleeve 30 with an interior screw thread, which is rigidly attached to a stationary support 31, and which receives a winding spindle 32, which penetrates it completely, which protrudes beyond its two ends, and having an exterior screw thread guided in an easily movable fashion in the interior screw thread of the sleeve 30, so that the winding spindle 32 can be rotated with very small torque and simultaneously is shifted axially.

In the vicinity of its rear end, there is attached, on winding spindle 32, a cord barrel 33 which receives a cord 34, to whose free, down-hanging end there is attached a weight 35 so that a constantly uniform torque will be exerted upon the winding spindle 32.

At the left hand, free end of the winding spindle 32, there is rigidly attached an angular thread guidance member 36 which guides the thread, that comes via a stationary thread guide 37 which is coaxial to the rotation axis of the winding spindle 32, first of all roughly in the radial direction and then in the axial direction, up to an eyelet 38, which is provided at its free end and which is at a radial interval outside a roller device 40.

At the right end of the winding spindle 32 there is arranged in the extension of its axis an activating rod 39 which when the winding spindle 32 performs a leftward axial motion, when a certain axial position is exceeded opens the switch 21 in that the latters pressure pin 41 runs up onto a larger-diameter area 42. If the winding spindle 32 moves toward the right, the pressure pin 41 again is moved onto the smallerdiameter area of the activating rod 39, so that switch 21 is closed again.

The roller device 40 has six rollers 43, arranged'in a circle in such a manner that they are substantially tangential to a circle encompassing them and that they have the same design as the so-called transfer rollers, such as they are frequently used in textile machines in combination with wheels. The rollers 43 are identical to each other and have circular cylindrical surfaces which serve to guide the thread placed in intermediate storage on them.

Rollers 43 are positioned freely rotatably by means of roller bearings on bearing journals 44, whereby the bearing journals 44 can be adjusted in terms of their angle and are arranged at identical angular distances, on a disc-shaped carrier 45 which is attached to a support 31 and are arranged at identical radial intervals from the axis of the winding spindle 32. The axes of the bearing journals 44 and thus the axes of rollers 43 are lined up roughly parallel to the axis of the winding spindle 32, although the axes of at least some of these rollers 43 reveal a slight inclination toward the axis of the winding spindle 32, as clearly seen in FIG. 2 for the case of the lower roller 43.

The intermediate storage of the thread on the roller device 40 is accomplished in the following manner: by means of the winding device, constituted by winding spindle 32 and thread guide members 36, the thread is wound around the rollers 43 of roller device 40 in helical windings with a constant pitch, as we can see from FIGS. 2 and 3.

The slanted position of some or all rollers 43, with respect to the axis of the winding spindle 32 which is coaxial with the longitudinal center axis of the roller device 40 is so determined that the helical thread windings, which are on the roller device 40, will not have a tendency to run together or to run apart but that, instead, a roughly identical helical course of these thread windings is always maintained, whereby the interval between two adjoining thread windings corresponds to the interval between two adjoining pitches of the exterior screw threads of the winding spindle 32.

All the thread, which runs up on roller device 40, moves through all windings, whereby the thread is guided in a non-slipping manner by the rollers 43 which are made to rotate by it all the way to the runoff point 46. The local position of the run-off point 46 always remains constant. On the other hand, the angle position and the axial position of the run-up point 47 is determined by the particular spatial position of the eyelet 38 of the thread guide member 36 said eyelet being opposite roller device 40 and it changes with the rotation of the winding spindle 32. If the winding spindle 32 rotates in the direction of Arrow D (FIG. 3), the hread is unwound from the roller device 40, whereby eyelet 39 with respect to FIG. 2 moves to the right in a helical path. In case the winding spindle 32 rotates in the opposite direction (Arrow 'E), the thread is wound up along a helical path upon roller device 40. When, for example, the thread breaks in the spinning turbine and when the thread is transported back into the spinning turbine 12 in the direction of Arrow B (FIG. 1 then the angle device 32, 36 is so rotated by the traction of the thread that thread is unwound from roller device 40, without the process of pulling the thread from the roller device in the direction (Arrow F) toward the grooved drum being influenced by this.

The torque device, constituted by the cord barrel 33 with cord 34 and weight 35, brings about a constantly even tension of the thread in the area between eyelet 38 and'point 47 and thus brings about also the windingup operation, whereby the energy for this is supplied by the downward movement of the weight 35 which occurs in connection with windup.

It is understood that the torsion device can also have any other suitable design in which, for example, the torque is generated by spring means, electrical means, or in some other suitable fashiomlt is, however, particularly advantageous when we work with a constant torque, which can be achieved in a simple manner by a weight drive.

The thread 24 is wound up on the roller device 40 always when the feeding speed is greater than the pull-off speed. In this case, the filling state of the intermediate storage unit 15 grows, that is to say, the thread length wound up on roller device 40 increases. When the feeding speed and the pull-off speed are the same, we have a stationary filling state, whereby the windup device 32, 36 stands still. If the feeding speed is slower than the pull-off speed or if the thread is fed by roller pair 14, 22 (FIG. 1 in the direction of Arrow B, against its normal direction of movement, then the filling state of the intermediate storage unit 15 is reduced by unwinding thread windings which are on the roller device. During unwinding, the weight 35 is moved upward.

This intermediate storage unit 15 stores the thread practically without friction and has a very great storage capacity so that a larger number of spinning start attempts, coming in short succession, one after the other, can also be made, without the thread reserve stored in the storage unit being used up completely here. Considering these advantages, the unit reveals a simple design and operates automatically, without any forced drive.

It also keeps the tension of the incoming thread automatically at a constant figure. Its filling state is proportional to the axial position of the winding spindle 32, so that regulation of the filling state is also possible with simple means, as illustrated in the example according to FIG. 1, in a preferred version.

This intermediate storage unit was developed especially for needs that arise in connection with the element spinning of yarn by means of spinning turbines; but it is understood that it can also be used in other textile machines.

The intermittent control of clutch in FIG. 1 is so determined that its disengaged state will in each case appear only for a short time, that the grooved drum 18 will not come to a standstill in this connection, but that there will be only a short time, relatively minor speed reduction down to, for example, 85-95% of the standard speed. Instead of a grooved drum one can, of course, also provide as thread feeding member a drive drum (18'; 18'', 18" in FIGS. 4-11), without grooves, whereby between the stationary thread guide 11 and the drive drum there is then arranged, in the known fashion, a shifter device which moves the thread back and forth laterally with respect to its feeding direction. Other variants, of course, are also possible. For instance, the drive drum can drive the cross-wound package via an intermediate drum or the cross-wound package is driven directly by motor 19 via clutch 20.

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate an advantageous, intermittently engageable and disengageable friction clutch 20' according to the invention, with associated thread drive drum 18' and with associated control. A drive motor, not shown here, drives a main shaft 50 with constant speed on which drive drum 1-8 is positioned in a freely rotatable manner. On a bearing ring 51 which is fixed to main shaft 50, there is keyed an axially movable clutch member 52, so that it likewise constantly rotates with main shaft 50. The clutch is shown as a friction clutch, in which the engaging surfaces 53, 54 have the shape of a truncated cone. One clutch surface 53 is at one end of the drive drum 18'- and the other clutch surface 54 is on the movable clutch member 52 which by means of-a lever 56 having a spring 55 attached thereto is constantly urged toward drive drum 18', so that an engaged state will normally occur. The clutch'member 52 has an annular groove 57, in which constantly engages a rollerthat is rotatably positioned at the one arm of the double-arm lever 56. In the other arm of this lever 56there is slidably positioned a pickup pin 59 consisting of ferromagnetic material. Its longitudinal axis, which is parallel to the swing axis of lever 56, runs perpendicular to the axis of the main shaft 50. A stationary electromagnet 60, when in the excited state, draws the pin 59 into an upper position, in which the pin is not engaged with a slidable push rod 61, which, in the example shown, is positioned parallel to the main shaft 50 and which can be cyclically moved back and forth by means of a constantly driven cam gear of a motor that also drives the main shaft 50. The cam gear (FIG. 6) is a cylindrical cam member 63 which rotates with constant speed and in whose circumference there is recessed an annnular groove 62 which has the shape of a circular ring, with the exception of a bulge 64 that extends over a relatively small angle sector. A guide roller, rotatably positioned at one end of push rod 61, constantly engages the annular groove 62 of the cam member 63 so that. the push rod when this guide roller runs through the bulge 64 is briefly moved to the right during every revolution of the cam member 63 and so that we thus get an intermittent back-and-forth motion of the push rod.

Opposite the pickup pin 59, push rod 61 has an upward-pointed, tooth-shaped catch 65. When the electromagnet is de-activated, this pickup pin 59, because of its force of gravity, falls downward and thus gets into the motion path of catch 65 which then moves it to the right in a cyclic fashion with reference to FIG. 6. As the push rod slides back to the left, the pickup pin is held at the catch by virtue of the action of the spring 55 attached to lever 56.

In this way, when the electromagnet 60 is deactivated, lever 56 is under control by the groove 62 of the cam member 63 moved to the right, just once during every revolution of the cam member, for a short span of time, as a rsesult of which clutch member 52 is correspondingly moved to the left into a disengaged position. The disengaged state of the clutch member thus comes about during every revolution of cam member 63 only for a small portion of its revolution time, so that, when electromagnet 60 is de-activated, the clutch is engaged and disengaged intermittently. When electromagnet 60 is excited, it draws the pickup pin 59 upward, out of the motion range of catch 65, so that the continuing movement of push rod 61 no longer influences lever 56 and thus likewise does not influence clutch member 52 which, in this case, is constantly held in the engaged state by the action of spring 55.

If the illustrated clutch is used in combination with a device according to FIG. 1, the electromagnet is turned on and off by switch 21. In this case, the electromagnet is always de-activated when the filling of the intermediate storage unit 15 falls below a certain value. So long as the roller pair 13, 14 (FIG. 1) supplies the thread to the intermediate storage unit 15, the pull-off speed of the thread with intermittent operation of clutch 20' out of the intermediate storage unit will, on a time average, be smaller than its feeding speed, so that the filling state of the intermediate storage unit '15 will increase (so that the unit will be fuller) and so that sooner or later a filling state is attained in which the intermittent operation of clutch 20 is turned off, whereupon the filling state decreases again because the thread pulloff speed from intermediate storage 15 is then greater than the feeding speed.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate an intermediate claw clutch 20" in which a ring 66 is fixed on main shaft 50 which is drivn at constant speed; on this ring 66 there is swingably positioned a circular clutch member 52 in a plane in which lies the axis of the main shaft 50; this member has a tooth-like protrusion engageable with teeth 68 of the drive drum 18" which is positioned in a freely rotatable manner on the main shaft, coaxially to it.

When clutch member 52 is engaged, the drive drum 20" is coupled to rotate with main shaft 50. In this engaged position, the clutch member 52 is held by a spring 69.

At the top side of the clutch member 52' there is fixed a cam 70 which is provided with a slanted approach edge and this cam serves for the intermittent disengagement of the swingable clutch member 52' in cooperation with a control body 71 whose position can be adjusted and which by means of an adjustment device not shown here can be moved into the orbit of cam 70 and which, in this position, every time, when the cam 70 engages it, presses the cam 70 toward the outside, so that clutch member 52' is disengaged. As soon as cam 70 is released from control body 71 by virtue of its continual rotating motion, clutch member 52' is pressed back into the engaged position by spring 69. In this way, the clutch is during every complete revolution of the main shaft 50 disengaged for a short span of time and the intermittent operation of clutch is thus achieved. If the intermittent operation of clutch 20" is to to achieved. If the intermittent operation of clutch 20" is to be discontinued, then the control body 71 is moved into a position outside the path of the cam.

If this clutch 20" is used in combination with FIG. 1, the position of the control body 71 is changed through control by means of switch 21 which, for example, activates an electromagnet in the adjusting device which changes the position of control body 71.

In the example according to FIGS. and 11, the coupling between the main shaft 50 and the drive drum 18". which is positioned coaxially with it in a freely rotatable manner, is accomplished, not by means of an intermittently connectable coupling, but rather bymeans of a planetary gearing 72 which can be so influenced that the drive drum 18" in case of constant speed of the main haft 50 driving it can rotate at two differing speeds.

At one of its front faces, drive drum 18" has a recess provided with interior teeth 73, with which two planet pinions 74 engage constantly and these pinions are positioned in eccentric positions with their axes parallel to main shaft 50, on the wheel 75 which is positioned in a freely rotatable manner, by means of a needle bearing on main shaft 50. On main shaft 50 there is furthermore keyed a cogwheel 76 with which the planet pinions 74 likewise constantly engage.

Wheel 75 can likewise be driven by means of a friction wheel gear and has a smooth cylindrical circumferential surface on which is constantly pressed a freely rotatably mounted wheel 79 which by means of an adjustment device not shown in greater detail can, as desired, be brought into frictional contact with a first shaft 77 or a second shaft 78. The first shaft 77 is constantly driven at constant speed, preferably by the motor driven main shaft 50, via a suitable gear. The second shaft 78 can steadily be driven at constant speed which may be greater or smaller than the speed or the other shaft. If desired, one of the two shafts 77 or 78 can also be made stationary.

It can readily be seen that, when main shaft 50 has constant speed, the speed of drive drum 18" is changed, if wheel 75 is driven by friction wheel 79 with differing speeds, or if it is driven in one case and if it stands still in the other case.

The position change of friction wheel 79 which serves for this adjustment of two differing speeds of the drive drum 18" can be accomplished by means of any usual adjusting device which, when this gear is used for the device according to FIG. 1, is controlled by switch 21. In case of both adjustable speeds of the drive drum, the drum rotates each time with constant speed and in contrast to the examples according toFIGS.

5-9 there is no intermittent switching of the clutch.

The invention is not confined to the examples illustrated here. It can be implemented in numerous additional variants. For instance, the third movement direction through the intermediate storage unit 15 cna be determined opposite to the one shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, depending upon the machine model.

As can furthermore be readily seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the regulating device for regulating the filling state of the intermediate storage unit if the particular machine design so permits or so requires can be so designed that it will adjust the feeding speed instead of the pull-off speed.

It can also be provided that the winding device 32, 36 of the intermediate storage unit will control not the incoming thread but rather the thread running off from the intermediate storage unit. This is a good idea particularly when the outgoing thread is exposed to greater speed changes than the incoming thread, for example, when the speed of the incoming thread is kept constant while only the speed of the outgoing thread is changed.

That which is claimed is:

1. A thread packaging device comprising:

a thread supply;

an intermediate thread storage unit for storing varying lengths of thread passing therethrough from said thread supply; and

means for withdrawing thread from said storage unit and winding it into a package; the improvement wherein:

said intermediate storage unit comprises a roller device having at least two freely rotatable rollers around which thread can be wound in a plurality of adjacent windings, a winding device (32, 36) which is operatively associated with said roller device and mounted for simultaneous rotary and axial movement relative thereto, torsion means (33, 34, 35) operatively connected to said winding device for biasing said winding device in a winding direction to maintain the thread taut and vary the run-up point (47) of the thread upon the roller device and for simultaneously moving said winding device axially to effect spaced helical windings on the roller device, and a regulating device (20, 21, 39, 42) operatively associated with said winding device and said package winding means for controlling the amount of thread on said storage unit by varying the rate of withdrawal of the thread therefrom.

2. The device according to claim 1 in which the rollers (43) of the storage unit are substantially cylindrical.

3. The device according to claim 1 in which at least one roller (43) is inclined relative to at least one adjacent roller.

4. The device according to claim 3 in which the axis of at least one roller (43) is adjustable relative to that of another roller.

5. The device according to claim 1 in which the roller devcie (40) comprises six rollers (43) arranged substantially in a circle and at substantially identical angular spacing.

6. Device according to claim 1 in which the winding device for the storage unit comprises a spindle (32) having a screw-threaded engagement with a guiding and supporting member (30), said spindle being coaxial with said roller device (40), a thread guide member (36) fixed to said spindle and having a guide (38) lo- 1 l cated radially outside a circle encompassing said rollers (43).

7. The device according to claim 1 in which the torsion means (33, 34, 35) comprises a weight.

8. The device according to claim 1 in which all rollers (43) of the roller device are rotated solely by the thread (24) wound thereon.

9. The device according to claim 1 in which the regulating device (20, 21, 39, 42) for the storage unit (15) has at least one element (39, 42) thereof operatively connected to the winding devcie for axial movement therewith whereby the axial position of the winding device controls the rate of withdrawal from the storage unit by changing it when the amount of thread thereon reaches a predetermined maximum or minimum.

10. The device according to claim 1 in which the means for withdrawing and winding the thread into a package (16) comprises a rotatable drum (18"), a constant speed shaft (50), means operatively connecting said drum to said sahft for driving said drum at different speeds (73-79), said means comprising a wheel (75 rotatable on said shaft, a cogwheel (76) fixed to said shaft, at least one planet pinion (74) eccentrically and rotatably mounted on said wheel (75) and meshing with said cogwheel, interior teeth (73) on said drum with which said pinion also meshes, and variable speed means (77, 78, 79) for driving said wheel and controlled by the regulating device for the filling state of said storage unit whereby the speed of said wheel (75 and thereby of said drum (l8"') may be varied.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the variable speed means (77, 78,79) for driving said wheel (75) comprises a friction wheel (79) constantly engaged with said wheel (75), two shafts (77, 78) driven at different speeds and which are alternately, engaged with said friction wheel (79) under control of said regulating device.

' 12. The device of claim 11 in which the speed of one of said two shafts (77, 78) is zero.

13. Device according to claim 1 in which the means for withdrawing and winding the thread into a package (16) comprises a rotatable drum (18, 18"), a constant speed shaft (50), means for coupling said drum to said shaft comprising a clutch which is controlled by the regulating device for the filling state of the storage unit whereby said clutch may be constantly engated or intermittently engaged and disengaged to vary the rate of withdrawal from the storage unit in accordance with the amount of thread thereon.

14. Device according to claim 13 in which the clutch is a claw clutch comprising teeth on one end of said drum (18"), a movable clutch member (52) nonrotatably carried by said shaft (50) biased into normal engagement with said teeth, and means or intermittently disengaging said clutch comprising means on said movable clutch member (52') and an element (71) movable into the path of said second-named means under control of said regulating means whereby said movable clutch member may be intermittently moved into disengaged position.

15. Device according to claim 13 in which the clutch is a friction clutch (20'), one element of which is a clutch portion (53) on one end of the drum (18') and the other element is a complementary member ('52) slidably keyed to the shaft 50); means for effecting engagement and disengagement of said clutch comprising a push rod (61 means for reciprocating said push rod comprising a cam rotating at a constant speed, said push rod having a catch (65), there being a two-armed pivoted lever (56) one arm of which is engageable with an annular groove (57) on the slidable clutch member (52) and the other arm of which has a movable member (59) for engagement with said catch 65), and an electromagnet (60) for moving said member out of the path of said clutch and controlled by the regulating device to cause the clutch to be intermittently engaged and disengaged when the amount of thread on the storage unit falls below a predetermined amount.

16. The device according to claim 1 in which means are provided between the thread supply and the intermediate storage unit for feeding thread to said storage unit at a lesser rate than that at which the thread is withdrawn from the storage unit.

is ass s' 

1. A thread packaging device compRising: a thread supply; an intermediate thread storage unit for storing varying lengths of thread passing therethrough from said thread supply; and means for withdrawing thread from said storage unit and winding it into a package; the improvement wherein: said intermediate storage unit comprises a roller device having at least two freely rotatable rollers around which thread can be wound in a plurality of adjacent windings, a winding device (32, 36) which is operatively associated with said roller device and mounted for simultaneous rotary and axial movement relative thereto, torsion means (33, 34, 35) operatively connected to said winding device for biasing said winding device in a winding direction to maintain the thread taut and vary the run-up point (47) of the thread upon the roller device and for simultaneously moving said winding device axially to effect spaced helical windings on the roller device, and a regulating device (20, 21, 39, 42) operatively associated with said winding device and said package winding means for controlling the amount of thread on said storage unit by varying the rate of withdrawal of the thread therefrom.
 2. The device according to claim 1 in which the rollers (43) of the storage unit are substantially cylindrical.
 3. The device according to claim 1 in which at least one roller (43) is inclined relative to at least one adjacent roller.
 4. The device according to claim 3 in which the axis of at least one roller (43) is adjustable relative to that of another roller.
 5. The device according to claim 1 in which the roller devcie (40) comprises six rollers (43) arranged substantially in a circle and at substantially identical angular spacing.
 6. Device according to claim 1 in which the winding device for the storage unit comprises a spindle (32) having a screw-threaded engagement with a guiding and supporting member (30), said spindle being coaxial with said roller device (40), a thread guide member (36) fixed to said spindle and having a guide (38) located radially outside a circle encompassing said rollers (43).
 7. The device according to claim 1 in which the torsion means (33, 34, 35) comprises a weight.
 8. The device according to claim 1 in which all rollers (43) of the roller device are rotated solely by the thread (24) wound thereon.
 9. The device according to claim 1 in which the regulating device (20, 21, 39, 42) for the storage unit (15) has at least one element (39, 42) thereof operatively connected to the winding devcie for axial movement therewith whereby the axial position of the winding device controls the rate of withdrawal from the storage unit by changing it when the amount of thread thereon reaches a predetermined maximum or minimum.
 10. The device according to claim 1 in which the means for withdrawing and winding the thread into a package (16) comprises a rotatable drum (18''''''), a constant speed shaft (50), means operatively connecting said drum to said sahft for driving said drum at different speeds (73-79), said means comprising a wheel (75) rotatable on said shaft, a cogwheel (76) fixed to said shaft, at least one planet pinion (74) eccentrically and rotatably mounted on said wheel (75) and meshing with said cogwheel, interior teeth (73) on said drum with which said pinion also meshes, and variable speed means (77, 78, 79) for driving said wheel and controlled by the regulating device for the filling state of said storage unit whereby the speed of said wheel (75) and thereby of said drum (18'''''') may be varied.
 11. The device of claim 10, wherein the variable speed means (77, 78,79) for driving said wheel (75) comprises a friction wheel (79) constantly engaged with said wheel (75), two shafts (77, 78) driven at different speeds and which are alternately engaged with said friction wheel (79) under control of said regulating device.
 12. The device of claim 11 in which the speed of one of said two shafts (77, 78) is zero.
 13. Device according to claim 1 in whIch the means for withdrawing and winding the thread into a package (16) comprises a rotatable drum (18'', 18''''), a constant speed shaft (50), means for coupling said drum to said shaft comprising a clutch which is controlled by the regulating device for the filling state of the storage unit whereby said clutch may be constantly engated or intermittently engaged and disengaged to vary the rate of withdrawal from the storage unit in accordance with the amount of thread thereon.
 14. Device according to claim 13 in which the clutch is a claw clutch comprising teeth on one end of said drum (18''''), a movable clutch member (52'') non-rotatably carried by said shaft (50) biased into normal engagement with said teeth, and means or intermittently disengaging said clutch comprising means (70) on said movable clutch member (52'') and an element (71) movable into the path of said second-named means under control of said regulating means whereby said movable clutch member may be intermittently moved into disengaged position.
 15. Device according to claim 13 in which the clutch is a friction clutch (20''), one element of which is a clutch portion (53) on one end of the drum (18'') and the other element is a complementary member (52) slidably keyed to the shaft (50); means for effecting engagement and disengagement of said clutch comprising a push rod (61), means for reciprocating said push rod comprising a cam rotating at a constant speed, said push rod having a catch (65), there being a two-armed pivoted lever (56) one arm of which is engageable with an annular groove (57) on the slidable clutch member (52'') and the other arm of which has a movable member (59) for engagement with said catch (65), and an electromagnet (60) for moving said member out of the path of said clutch and controlled by the regulating device to cause the clutch to be intermittently engaged and disengaged when the amount of thread on the storage unit falls below a predetermined amount.
 16. The device according to claim 1 in which means are provided between the thread supply and the intermediate storage unit for feeding thread to said storage unit at a lesser rate than that at which the thread is withdrawn from the storage unit. 